Alone, Together
by Isabella Stardust
Summary: When Hermione is captured by Voldemort, an unlikely saviour emerges.
1. Prologue

Title: Alone, Together  
  
Summary: When Hermione is captured by Voldemort, an unlikely saviour emerges. Chapter: Prologue Author: Isabella Stardust Fandom: Harry Potter Pairing: Hermione Granger/ Severus Snape Rating: eventually R Spoilers: Up to end of OotP  
  
Hermione was snatching a few precious hours with her family before she returned to the wizarding world once more. She would be spending the last two weeks of the summer at No.12 Grimmauld place. Hermione's slight frame underwent an involuntary shudder as she thought of the death of its previous occupant and owner - Sirius Black.  
  
"Poor Sirius" she muttered and dried her eyes, momentarily steadying herself on her pale pink wall. She hadn't redecorated her room since she started Hogwarts. She took in her surroundings and realised just how different she was.  
  
How much she'd grown.  
  
And yet, how little time seemed to have passed as she prepared to enter her sixth year with somewhat more apprehension than excitement.  
  
She sighed and smiled, putting her fears behind her for her parents' sake, and stepped lightly into the next room.  
  
"Impedimentia!" shouted an unknown, remarkably cruel voice. Just as she reached for her wand, the more recognisably nasal tones of Lucius Malfoy yelled "Stupefy!"  
  
Thereupon the lights went out. 


	2. Barren Hopes

Hermione's eyelids fluttered as she slowly became more aware of her surroundings. Her head was heavy, her vision blurry, and she found it difficult to sit up. She shivered as she realised she had no idea where she was.  
  
It was a small rectangular room, which contained only the small cot on which she lay. There were no windows and as far as she could see no doorway. No feasible way in or out. It was damp and her body convulsed into a shiver again from the cold as she realised she was only wearing a muggle vest top and jeans.  
  
She almost laughed as she realised she had no shoes or socks on. She wondered how long she had been out for and whether or not her parents were ok. Her brain was racing beyond her control. After all, she thought, they are death eaters; they would have no problem killing muggles. They wouldn't even give it a second thought.  
  
Her stomach turned inside out as she watched droplets of water form on the ceiling and dribble slowly down to the ground. She tried to concentrate on this, tried to slow her thoughts down to let her body become calm.  
  
It wasn't working.  
  
Her brain kept racing in every direction. She imagined tons of horrible ways her parents could have been tortured and killed, which always brought her back to the same question.  
  
Why was she still here?  
  
She was, after all, a filthy mudblood so why not just kill her?  
  
And then the answer came.  
  
To get to Harry.  
  
So there it was - the only real hope of rescue.  
  
Only, if Harry came, it would be to his death.  
  
Her hopes were as bare as her cell was.  
  
^_^  
  
Severus Snape stormed around his London home in a rather foul mood. He had been mixing potions at Voldemort's compound the previous evening and had seen the poor sods dragged in from the raids.  
  
Most were pretty muggle girls brought in for a bit of 'sport'.  
  
He looked away in distaste, a blacker than usual scowl crossing his features, when he noticed a slender frame and a rather bushy head of hair that he instantly recognised.  
  
"Hermione Granger" he had whispered to himself in a state of shock. And now he paced around waiting for a response from Dumbledore as to what exactly he was going to do about the entire situation.  
  
As the wait dragged on, he wondered what the poor girl was going through.  
  
^_^  
  
And she waited.  
  
Though she wasn't sure exactly what she was waiting for.  
  
She could do nothing but sit there; watching drip after drip dribble slowly onto the floor. 


	3. Dark Horse

It had taken another hour for an owl from Dumbledore to arrive. During which, Severus Snape had done nothing but pace back and forth. He wondered, briefly, if in a short while longer he would have worn the carpet down.  
  
"So good of you to respond Albus" he drawled, his voice heavy with sarcasm.  
  
"We needed to inform Hermione's friends and family of her plight before we could formulate any plans my dear boy". Dumbledore's voice was gruff and his eyes lacked their usual twinkle of amusement.  
  
"But surely you realise, while you were letting Potter the wonder boy and such know about this, she could have been undergoing unspeakable torment!" he spat out.  
  
The twinkle of amusement seemed to reappear in Dumbledore's eye. "I had no idea you cared so much for Miss Granger."  
  
"I care for every student at Hogwarts", Snape said, drawing himself up to his full height in a rather dignified manner. "Especially ones who have been captured by Voldemort and have an insight into our secret plans, not to mention my own double agent position."  
  
"Severus, my boy, I am going to ask you to undertake a very difficult mission for me which will compromise your double agent role. I need you to keep Miss Granger safe until it is time for her to escape and you to make it known that you are on the side of the light."  
  
"Albus, it is a mission I instantly accept - on one condition."  
  
"Which is?" Dumbledore smiled slightly, his eyes still somehow twinkling.  
  
"That no foolhardy attempts by Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley are made to recover Miss Granger.she is obviously a trap, intended to play on Potter's hero reputation. Don't let him fall into it!" Snape growled and with that swept from the room.  
  
^_^  
  
Hermione sat with her knees pressed up to her chest. She'd been in here, alone, for at least a day.  
  
The only time she had seen anyone, was when a group of boys came in, in full death eater costume, and yelled "Crucio!" barely even staying to watch her pain. Hearing her scream was enough.  
  
She'd lain there on the floor writhing in agony; which was slowly replaced by body wracking sobs.  
  
Eventually she had gathered up all her strength and pulled herself up onto her cot, her insides bubbling with a strange mixture of pain and hunger.  
  
For once in her life she didn't want to think and found comfort in making herself go limp and her thoughts go blank.  
  
She thought she was dreaming when a familiar figure dressed all in black entered the room.  
  
"Miss Granger", a drawling sarcastic voice inquired.  
  
She didn't answer.  
  
"Miss Granger?" he asked again, sounding so irritable it could be no one else.  
  
"Professor Snape?" she rasped out, before fainting from the sheer shock of it all. 


	4. Questions and Answers

Thanks to those who reviewed!! Deb.the how is her family questions is answered here. AnImEfReAk81.thanks I really appreciate that  
  
And a special thanks to Satine for keeping me right!  
  
^_^  
  
When she awoke, Hermione briefly considered everything past to have simply been a bad dream. She was in a luxuriously comfy bed, she felt clean and cared for, and her belly was deliciously full.  
  
So what was wrong with this picture?  
  
The fact that her potions Professor, one Severus Snape, was sitting on the edge of her bed with a concerned look on his face.  
  
And those walls, cold and damp with tiny jewel like drips running down them.  
  
She gave an involuntary shudder.  
  
"So you have decided to awaken, Miss Granger." His words were as usual but his tone was soft.  
  
"Where am I? What's going on? Why are you here?" she sat up immediately - desperate to know the answers to these questions.  
  
A small smile crossed his lips.  
  
"I was wondering how long it would be before the questions began."  
  
"I am wondering how long it will be before you begin to answer them." Hermione said sternly.  
  
"You are awfully bossy for someone in your position, Miss Granger." He drawled, his smile widening.  
  
"It would be helpful to know exactly what that position is!" she spat at him through gritted teeth.  
  
"Very well. For once, it seems that you do not have all the answers. But I suppose one cannot study being captured by Voldemort. You are being held in his inner compound and luckily have suffered very little abuse at the hands of his followers."  
  
Hermione screwed up her face, remembering the Cruciatus curse, and was about to interrupt.  
  
"Trust me, Miss Granger, you got off lightly." Snape said, his face softening a little.  
  
Hermione managed a small "Oh", her eyes widening in recognition.  
  
"Good to see you retain some of your intelligence at least. But not to worry, you will be safe from those kind of attentions."  
  
She furrowed her brow, not understanding. He could see her brain working.and gods help him; it was.attractive. He quickly pushed that thought away. "You have been 'claimed' by me. As long as you are held in these quarters, you belong to me and no other; unless, of course, Voldemort asks me to relinquish my claim." Snape explained. "Which he won't." he added quickly thinking this was the reason for the look of dawning horror upon her face.  
  
"Does that mean.that I have to.that we have to?" she stammered, her cheeks turning a burning and rather unattractive shade of red.  
  
"I had thought you were intelligent, Miss Granger. No. I am, as I thought you had realised, a spy. So there will be no need for you to relieve me sexually. I am merely here to ascertain your well being until we can find some method of removing you."  
  
An amused smile played upon his lips and Hermione felt even more embarrassed than she had a moment ago.  
  
"Well if that is all the questions you have for now, I must be getting along. I've left you some books which I thought might interest you." And with that, he gave her a small smile and turned to go.  
  
"Professor!"  
  
"Yes Miss Granger?"  
  
"My Parents! Are they okay?" Panic made here voice break ever so slightly.  
  
"They are fine, Miss Granger. Now, get some rest."  
  
And with that, he swept from the room. 


	5. Alone Again or

She's alone again. The drips still fall, and the silence of the room is ultimately eerie.  
  
Still.she doesn't find her surroundings as unsettling as she did just a few minutes ago.  
  
She giggles at the thought that a couple of days ago she wouldn't have believed someone who had told her that Professor Snape would make her at ease in any context.  
  
Hermione realises, however, how perfectly logical it is to trust Snape in this situation; after all, he is a spy and the only person from the Order with any real knowledge of Voldemort's compound.  
  
Comforted and assured by his protection, she rolls onto her belly and drifts to sleep.  
  
^_^  
  
He's alone again and she plagues his mind.  
  
He wonders if she's cold and if she's hungry, if the books he left her pique her intellectual curiosity.  
  
For what he told Albus is true, he does care for his students, but he despises them too. Regardless, he does want to keep them safe - part atonement for past sins and part the hellish knowledge of exactly what could happen to them if he didn't.  
  
He downs the firewhisky in his hand and loosens the collar of his white shirt.  
  
He doesn't want a dreamless sleep potion tonight; he'd rather do things the muggle way - drink himself into a stupor and pass out blissfully unaware for at least an hour or two.  
  
^_^  
  
Snape wishes he'd opted for the dreamless sleep potion now; his brain feels too heavy for his skull to carry.  
  
He'd woken up fully clothed and dishevelled; slumped over his grand leather chair with a drained bottle of firewhisky littering the floor in front of him.  
  
Now he skulked around the halls of Voldemort's compound with a look on his face that would have turned many of the most hardened Death Eaters' stomachs.  
  
If any of his students had seen him in this foul a mood, they would have run a mile.  
  
Maybe ten.  
  
Hermione, however, was glad for a face. Any face was better than nothing and there was something about being trapped in here that made it impossible to gain as much enjoyment from books as she normally did.  
  
He had left her an interesting selection, some on potions and advanced magic as well as some muggle novels and volumes of poetry.  
  
"Professor Snape." She smiled gracefully up at him from behind a copy of Frankenstein.  
  
"Good Morning, Miss Granger." He answered acidly.  
  
"You sound as if you wish me anything but a good morning." she smirked at him. Normally, she'd be scared to talk to any Professor this way; let alone Snape. Somehow, being captured by Voldemort and having the cruciatus curse done to you made you less scared of irate, acid-tongued potions masters.  
  
"This morning, I wish no good on anybody." He replied snappishly.  
  
She looked at him again. He looked like hell.his hair was, if possible, greasier than normal and his skin paler and oilier looking. She also noticed deep circles under his eyes where he normally had none.  
  
"Rough night last night?" she asked sympathetically but with a hint of a smile.  
  
"No, it was pleasant enough.but I have found that pleasantries come with a certain price." he drawled.  
  
"You're hung-over." She giggled.  
  
"Very", he answered levelly but a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes ".and could you please not make that high-pitched sound again, it's going right through me."  
  
Was he joking with her? Conversing with her as an almost equal? Again, she returned to the supposition that as the situation they were in was highly unusual it was therefore understandable for them to act in a way towards each other that was.well, less than normal.  
  
"I must say it is interesting to watch your brain work, Miss Granger. May I inquire as to what you were thinking about." The amusement in his eyes was more than a twinkle now.  
  
"Just the situation." she replied calmly but all the same felt a warm flush rising in her cheeks.  
  
He tactfully changed the conversation to potions where they comfortably debated for an hour or so.  
  
^_^  
  
Harry hadn't slept for two days since Hermione had been captured. His brain was addled with lack of sleep and worry but he couldn't bring himself to rest knowing she was out there under his control.  
  
Dumbledore had told them not to worry, that Professor Snape would take care of her.  
  
Not to worry? How could he sit there and do nothing when Voldemort had captured his best friend.  
  
He had to do something; he just had to. She was the one who kept his head straight. He decided to take a page out of her book and take a dreamless sleep potion.  
  
Tomorrow he would wake up refreshed and find a way to help her, her way. Tomorrow he and Ron would research until they found a way to get her back.  
  
He needed her back.  
  
A/N  
  
Thanks for the reviews!  
  
Deb: glad you liked the last chapter and he could claim me anytime he wanted too.  
  
Aliana Granger : Snape/Hermione all the beautiful way!  
  
AnImEfReAk81: 100 reviews? Keep your fingers crossed for me! Thanks :D  
  
Piper: hope this sorts out the cliffhanger a little! 


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